Coffee Bay Surf Guide

Coffee Bay Surf Guide

Umtata, the capital of the Transkei, is almost exactly halfway when driving through the 'Kei north-south. There is a turn off to Coffee Bay from the N2 as it passes through Umtata. From the exit it is 80 kilometers to the coast and Coffee Bay, but it is quite a difficult 80Ks that take some time. The road has giant potholes that will destroy tires and axles, plus, giant Nguni cows walk onto the road all the time. There is also roadkill littered everywhere, and it really isn't a good idea to drive at night.

There are two waves at Coffee Bay, the beach and the point. The beach can get quite good when the sandbars are right, with quality, running waves and the odd barrel coming through.

The point is a fickle wave and needs a very east swell and a high tide to really work. The offshore wind in the area is a southwest, but it is a beautiful place so should the waves not be epic it is still a great place to visit. There are a few other waves in the area, but all dependent on sandbars. Sometimes there are rights at the far northern corner of the beach, but these are rare.

Backpackers love Coffee Bay and tend to gather here in droves. If you're keen on uninhibited Euro backpackers hanging around on the beaches, learning to surf, and having drum circles, then this is a great place to be. It breaks the trip up to Durban or down to J-Bay perfectly.

It is the Transkei though, and there are no shark nets around. The underlying danger of sharks and shark attacks is very real and you need to be careful and watchful at all times.